Central vacuum systems have been known for a number of years. In general, central vacuum systems have a central vacuum source which is connected through a piping system to inlets. Each of the inlets can then be connected to an accessory in general, such as a hose. The inlets generally have a sealing means for sealing the inlet when another inlet connected to the system is in use. In this way, the vacuum will not be overly degraded at the inlet that is being used.
The central vacuum system can be activated to generate a vacuum in a number of ways. For instance, the central vacuum system can be activated automatically when an accessory is connected to an inlet. The central vacuum system can also be activated, for instance, by a low voltage switch.
One of the disadvantages of prior central vacuum systems has been that generally a hose must be carried to a particular inlet that is to be used. The hose can then be used to vacuum an area associated with the inlet. Generally, this area can be large in order to decrease the number of inlets required thereby decreasing the cost of installing the central vacuum system.
However, as the area associated with an inlet increases the hose used to vacuum the area associated with the inlet must also increase. Having larger hoses to connect to the inlet decreases the convenience of using the central vacuum system. While there is some advantage to using a larger hose to clean a large area around an inlet, there is some inconvenience in storing and moving the hose from one inlet associated with an area to another inlet associated with another area.
Furthermore, several rooms or areas associated with a particular inlet may, by their geography, be small. Nevertheless, rather than having hoses of different lengths, the user may need to use a larger hose simply because that is the only type of hose the user may have for the entire central vacuum system.
Several systems have been proposed in the past whereby hoses can be permanently stored in the wall so as to be easily accessible. The disadvantage of at least some of these systems is that the hose, because of its length, is difficult to store and recover, involving complicated and expensive installation processes and mechanisms for extracting and retracting the hose from the storage space. Sometimes the hose is also retracted too far into the wall and is difficult to remove.
Moreover, the cost of maintaining these systems is high because it is difficult to access the hose, for use in cleaning, or, to replace the hose if it becomes damaged. Also, hoses may become dirty by their use and may occasionally need to be cleaned which can be difficult if permanently stored in the wall. More frequently, hoses, over time, will degrade and will require replacement. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for hoses to be stepped on or otherwise damaged during use which can create ruptures decreasing the vacuum through the hose thereby decreasing the efficiency of the vacuuming system.
Also, existing hoses that are stored in the wall generally do not have a high voltage [such as 110V or 220V] connection. As such they cannot be used to power electric cleaning heads. This limits the effectiveness and versatility of many hoses that are currently stored in the wall.
Accordingly, while the prior art has proposed certain solutions to the central vacuum systems, the prior art devices continue to suffer from several disadvantages. These disadvantages include the high maintenance involved in replacing hoses in such systems, the difficulty with storing larger hoses to clean large areas, and the fact that they cannot be used with electric cleaning heads because they do not provide a high current electrical connection.